Writing for YA

Aug 05

Life is all about cataloging. We are taught from a young age to sort things into groups. Apples go with bananas because they are fruit, or they go with firetrucks because both are red. Groups and order are integral to our daily lives. In my paid profession as an archaeologist, I do this on a daily basis. As authors, we too must catalog, only it is our writing that we must put into the appropriate box.

Playing the Genre Game

When I tell people I’m writing a book, the first question they ask is “what’s it about.” I find this to be a surprisingly hard question to answer, not because I don’t know what my plot is about, but because people are looking more for where your book falls in the grand scheme of the literary world. In my case, my category is not one that many people think of when they make their literary map.

I used to tell people that my book is a children’s fantasy. “How far along are you?” they would ask. Anything over 20 pages got me a weird look. “Isn’t that a bit long for a kid’s book?”

YA = Vampires, right?

So then I switched to telling people it was a young adult book, thinking the success of Twilight and other such books would have put this category on the map. Unfortunately, this almost always leads to the question “Are there vampires?”

So what am I writing? In the publishing world, its a middle grade fantasy book. But how many non-writers know what this means? How many writers know what this means? Or what any of the under-18 categories mean?

MG Defined

The basic difference in categories is the age group the book is intended for. Middle Grades tend to be aimed at the 8-12 year olds. Tween or Upper Middle Grade extends upwards to 13-14. Young Adult is intended for the 12-18 age group. And children’s books include everything below 8, and they in turn have their own sub-divisions including chapter book, picture book, etc. And of course, to correspond with these varying age groups, content and the age of the main character are also affected by the above categories.

To learn more, check out MG vs YA fiction: What’s the Difference?

Aug 03

I just found this great post by Sarah Webb on how many words a book should be. She, in turn, got some great info from kidlit.com. The general breakdown is as follows:

• Board Book — 100 words max
• Early Picturebook — 500 words max
• Picturebook — 1,000 words max (Seriously. Max.)
• Nonfiction Picturebook — 2,000 words max
• Early Reader — This varies widely, depending on grade level. I’d say 3,500 words is an absolute max.
• Chapterbook — 10,000 words max
• Middle Grade — 35,000 words max for contemporary, mystery, humor, 45,000 max for fantasy/sci-fi, adventure and historical
• YA — 70,000 words max for contemporary, humor, mystery, historical, romance, etc. 90,000 words max for fantasy, sci-fi, paranormal, etc.

You can also check out Chuck Sambuchino’s Word Count for Novels and Children’s Books: The Definitive Post

Looks like I’m closer to my target word count than I thought I was. Guess that means there will be some serious editing in the near future.

Aug 02

Which is better, writing in 3rd person or 1st?

I remember when I was younger my teachers told me to write in 3rd person. It’s less messy (not a sentiment I agree with, but it’s what they told me). Lately I’ve seen a lot of books written in 1st person and it’s got me wondering: will my book have less appeal if I stick to the tried and true 3rd person POV?

I recently read an article (for the life of me I cannot remember where, so my apologies) that said it is better to write in 1st person if you are writing to a younger audience. This makes the reader feel more connected to the story and like you are one of them. But there have been a lot of books written for the mg/tween/ya audience that were not written in 1st person, many of them published this year.

In an attempt to jive with my intended audience, I’ve given first person writing a chance. The problem I’ve run into is that getting an entire story to flow when told in first person is pretty tough. Not to say it isn’t possible. I’ve read many successful examples recently, but every time I try, the writing seems forced. So after much perusing of the Internet, I’ve come to the following conclusion: write in whichever style you are most comfortable with. You writing will flow better and your reader will be engaged because you were engaged.

To see page one of my novel, written in 3rd person, check out my writing excerpts page.

Aug 01

I came across this short list of ways to attract your YA audience, or 5 Rules for Writing YA. The rules are:

Convince the reader that the protagonist is one of them
Don’t speak down to your readers
Read YA novels
Don’t worry over whether your book will have commercial appeal. Write first, then figure out how to sell it
Forge new paths – don’t be afraid to cross boundaries or create fresh content.

I think the rule I have the hardest time following is the 4th one. I find myself worrying about commercial appeal way too much. I know commercial appeal means nothing if you don’t have a product to sell, but I always come back to the nagging question: “What if I write it and no one wants to buy it?” The truth is, even if no one wants my book now, they may want it in the future since markets are not static. Trends come and go all the time.

Which rules do you have trouble following? Can you think of any additional rules?

Jul 31

The next best thing to attending the SCBWI (Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) Conference is reading the conference blog. One blog post caught my attention today. It is an interview with Carolyn Mackler on Creating Characters That Come to Life. In the interview, Mackler stresses the importance of:

Thinking about your characters quirks – what makes them special? Does your character twirl his/her hair when nervous? Does he/she trip a lot? Is your character prone to worrying?
Reading your books/story out loud so you can hear your characters – the way a character speaks says a lot about who the character is
Research – talk to real life people who share traits similar to your character’s. If you’re writing a nurse, talk to a nurse.
Imagine what your character’s closet looks like.

The third point was probably my favorite. Usually I try to imagine what a character’s bedroom looks like, but a closet is even better. While a bedroom is private space, people do occasionally wander into them. A closet, though, is completely private space. Are the clothes organized by season and/or color? Does your character use hangers or is everything piled on the floor? Perhaps a secret alter is hidden away in the closet, or a stalker collage? Maybe it is so crammed with things that the door barely opens, like that wonderful scene in Mary Poppins when everything comes spewing out of the closet as the door slams shut (or did I imagine that scene). A closet can reveal so much about a character, bringing that character from words on a page to a living, dynamic being that your readers can engage with.

What questions do you ask about your character to gain insight into his/her life?

Jul 30

Simon & Schuster will be releasing an online, serialized novel, Loser/Queen where readers (young adults) get to vote on what will happen next. Having been a huge fan of the choose your own adventure books, I can see the appeal to such a format. But as a writer, it stresses me out.

The Plan

Readers vote by 5 pm Thursdays. A new chapter is posted on Mondays. That’s pretty quick turn around. I assume that, like a television show, multiple chapters are already written, but the fact that there are two choices at the end of the chapter, and who knows how many chapters means that a lot of content would need to be pre-written that will never see the light of the computer screen. Additionally, based off of reader responses, minor characters could take on a more major part if the readers are particularly drawn to a character, which leads to even more changes. If writing a traditional book often seems like an out-of-control beast, I can’t imagine what this project must feel like to the author, Jodi Lynn Anderson. That’s a lot of creative control she is giving up. But then, the price is a huge platform ready and waiting when the book publishes. It’s not even finished and you can already pre-order the paperback edition.

Will Readers Buy a Book They’ve Already Read for Free?

I’m inclined to say yes, because people like owning something they were a part of. The readers voting on the book will feel that they invested something into it, and they will want the hard copy to show their hard work. But will those who didn’t vote, or who came in on the final chapter, feel the inclination to buy it? Will potential readers who did not have the opportunity to vote feel left out? And isn’t this just adding to the technology addiction that’s running rampant across society?

I’ve gotta say though, Simon & Schuster did grab my attention, and I will definitely be following along with Anderson’s readers to see where it goes.

Jul 28

In my attempts to enter the minds of kids, I’ve been spending a lot of time perusing children news sources, which are surprisingly abundant. One recent find was an article in National Geographic Kids, Beelzebufo: A Giant of a Find. Talk about great inspiration. After all, what’s cooler than a frog the size of a beach ball?

In other news, a bear in New Hampshire ‘rescued’ a stuffed bear being held captive by humans. Read about it here.

Finally, a boat made out of plastic crossed the Atlantic.

You’ve gotta love the inspiration you can get from bizarre happenings in the world.

Dec 30

When I was in 8th grade, I showed my English teacher some poetry I had written, thinking it was amazing. I was pretty heartbroken when he came back and informed me that it was “adolescent rubbish.” Those words, while hurtful at the time, stuck with me. Although I was an adolescent, I wanted to write like a grownup, like the grownups whose writing I loved and respected.

YA Does Not Equal Sloppy Prose

I think many YA writers miss the mark when they write for the YA audience. Just because someone is a young adult, or an adolescent, it should not be assumed that they are uninterested in reading adult constructed prose. Quite the opposite, unless teenagers are so very different now than they were when I was one. If you look at the hugely successful young adult books, there seems to be some correlation with the quality of writing and the popularity of the books.

Harry Potter

Take, for example, the Harry Potter series. While these books began at a younger reading level, they spanned into the YA realm. One of the greatest things about these books was that they did not dumb down the writing. Even from book one the plot had twists and the characters were engaging. And most importantly, they did not yell all the time or appear to be in a constantly foul mood. Because the writing and plots were constructed in a sophisticated, though age appropriate, way, the books appealed to a much larger audience, contributing to their success.

Twilight

The Twilight series had a similar appeal. Although many would argue that the writing was less than ideal, the characters were constructed more real than what you see in similar YA vampire books. Whereas many YA vampire books are full of characters who hate their parents and stay out until odd hours of the night or run away entirely, characters that my old English teacher would describe as “adolescent rubbish,” Stephanie Meyers constructed characters who grew irritated with their parents, but still loved them, who snuck out, but knew the consequences. These characters were more real and more sophisticated. Because of these, like with Harry Potter, these books were able to reach a larger audience.

Reading to Stay Current

To stay current with the 6-8 and YA trends, I read a lot of books in these areas, and few of them grab me. The stories that really grabbed me as a child and teenager are stories that I still read to this day, and that still capture me. It is not the nostalgia that grabs me. It is the story. It is because the writers, while writing age appropriate, did not dismiss the standards of good writing. Writing for children and YA should not be viewed as easier. The literary elements necessary for all good literature still need to be there, and the stories that will stick with a person throughout their life are going to be the ones that are well written. And after all, isn’t this what every writer strives for?

YA? Tween? MG? W.D.I.A.M. (What does it all mean)?

Playing the Genre Game

YA = Vampires, right?

MG Defined

How long should your novel be?

Writer's Voice – Telling your story in 1st or 3rd person POV

Capturing Your YA Audience

More on creating characters

Online 'choose your own adventure' style books